155+ Friendship Tattoos That Mark Your Friendship Bonds

So you want to commemorate a decade with your best friend. A gift may be too obvious, a dinner would be consumable and easy to forget, and a travel trip is too expensive. What do you get in order to show your best friend that they are close to your heart?

You can get a tattoo instead! Tattoos are a great way to show someone that they are special to you. Instead of buying all those material things, you can get them something that is permanent – either on you or on them, too. With tattoos, you can show them that whatever happens, they will always be in your heart. It is a literal and figurative expression of your friendship.

Why Get Friendship Tattoos?

A tattoo is such a big commitment. More permanent than marriage, a tattoo is hard to replace let alone remove. The ways to remove it are painful and expensive. So why get one of these to show off friendships?

It’s a symbol of your friendship.

Tattoos are symbols for a lot of things. There are people who use tattoos as body art while there are some people who attach deep meanings to them to mark special events in their life. You can do the same to mark important people in your life who have been there through thick and thin.

While you cannot predict when a friendship fades or who stays in your life or leaves, a tattoo can be a symbol for the friends who have stayed with you since you were a kid. This is a great way to show them how much you mean to them because tattoos are not easy commitments. If anything, you have to stick with those tattoos no matter what – which is a great reminder of what a friendship really is.

It can be a great reminder.

More than a commemoration, a tattoo is a great reminder of your friendship milestones. Since you can be creative with tattoo designs, it is easy to design one that is highly personal to you and your best friend. Besides, since it is your friendship that you are talking about, no one will be able to judge how bad or pretty it is because you already attached a meaning to it that goes beyond its appearance.

Some tattoos can be used as reminders of you and your best friend’s favorite quotes, experiences, animals, and memories. They can be quotes that you used to say to each other that always reminds each one that everything will be okay. Whatever you decide, you can get a tattoo with a dual purpose – as a gentle reminder of great times and as a symbol of genuine friendship.

It’s unique.

Like what was said at the beginning of this page – material things may be too obvious and simple to encapsulate you and your best friend’s bond. If you try to get them more expensive gifts, then you might be investing more on the item than in your relationship.

A tattoo is a unique way to express yourself and your friendship. Friendship tattoos are not so common because it is only nowadays when matching tattoos became a thing. Back then, tattoos were used to show individualism. Now, it can also show commitment to people in your life.

Moreover, who would think that a tattoo would be given as a gift to your best friend, right? For sure, not a lot of people would think of such a grand gesture. This will already set your friendship apart.

It’s beautiful, ‘nuff said.

Lastly, friendship tattoos are beautiful. Because they are highly personalized, you can get a tattoo that is unique to you and your best friend and you can be sure to stand out from the rest. You can go for quotes or simple shapes. Constellations are even a great choice for friendship tattoos. You can also ask the artist if they can advise a design for you, but since you want to commemorate your friendship, it is better to design (or at least have an idea) of the tattoo that best symbolizes your friendship.

Friendship Tattoo Designs For You And Your Bestie

Want matching tattoos? These tattoo designs might be a great inspiration for you and your best friend:

Hearts

Nothing beats matching hearts when it comes to friendship tattoos. They are girly and sweet, but they are also perfect signs of love. You can create a lot of different designs with hearts and you can also put other designs along with it. You can wrap the heart with hands or leaves and put your own meaning to it.

Quotes

Quotes will always be a design inspiration. It can be a Bible verse your friendship has always grounded itself to or a mantra that you and your bestie always use. Quotes are an easy design inspiration especially when you already have a saying in mind. You can also play around with the font. If you want it to be more creative, you don’t have to put the whole verse and put the numbers that describe it instead. You can also translate a quote in Latin, or better yet, use one of the more famous Latin quotes as reminders to your friend. The phrase “carpe diem” is a good example.

Birds

A flight of birds is the perfect best friend tattoo to be placed on the shoulders. Most of the time, this tattoo design portrays at least four doves flying. This design inspiration is easy to personalize because while there are many symbolisms for doves, you can simply change the flight direction and the look of the doves. Common dove tattoo designs are just small doves made of black ink in flight. If you don’t want a lot of them on your shoulder, you can get a bird tattoo and put it in one of the hidden areas of your body.

Yin & Yang

“Opposites attract” tattoo designs are very popular among best friends. It’s a good symbol to show how two people who are totally different from each other can complement one another. This is a great way to show off your friendship – one can get the Yin side and the other gets the Yang side. You can even separate them depending on whose character matches the different sides. Yin & Yang tattoos are also very artistic and authentic as the symbol dates back to Chinese tradition.

Infinity Sign

What other symbol better describes a never-ending relationship than an infinity sign? An infinity sign is simple, yet it never loses its charm. It’s great if you want to have small and matching tattoos because those infinity signs barely take up any space. It’s a small and thin tattoo perfect for those who want to have subtle tattoos that are barely there. They are great to be placed on the wrists and the ankles because of its small size.

Sun & Moon

Another “opposites attract” tattoo inspiration is the sun and the moon. There are many designs you can do with these two symbols – some like putting faces on them, while some add constellations with it. The sun and moon signify two opposites that co-exist and complement each other. This is a great way to describe friendship as every person is different. It can also portray each other’s personalities. What’s fun about it is that you can attach specific personalities to both the sun and the moon that can match yours.

Letters

Although not a matching tattoo, you and your best friend can have your names tattooed on your body. To make others more curious, you can opt to have initials on you and let other people wonder what it stands for. A beautiful font for these kinds of tattoos would be a typewriter font because it adds a touch of vintage to the design.

Places Where You Can Put Your Matching Tattoos

There are many areas where you can have your matching tattoos with your best friend. Check these unique placements:

Ears

If you’re feeling more adventurous, then by all means, you can put matching tattoos on your ears. But if you can’t do that just yet, you can choose to have matching friendship tattoos behind your ear. If you’re thinking of placing a tattoo here, the tattoo size should be small and compact so it can give a subtler effect.

Arms

There are two areas in your arms that are often perfect subtle areas for your matching friendship tattoos. One is right above your elbow and the other is the other side of your wrist. The one above your elbow offers a much bigger space for bigger friendship tattoos as compared to your wrist. However, putting a friendship tattoo on your wrist is a lot more convenient. It’s easier to show off and it’s easier to put side-by-side with your bestie’s.

Back

The back is a common area to put a tattoo. Although there is rarely a friendship tattoo that covers at most ¼ of your back, you can still utilize the space if you want big tattoos. But most of the time, friendship tattoos can be seen on the shoulders.

Hips

The hips or the hip area are another place where you can put matching friendship tattoos. It’s perfect if you’re planning to go to the beach because it adds sexiness to wearing a bikini. A small matching tattoo just above the bikini line is a nice way to show off your abs and your new tattoo.

Ankles

Last, but not the least, are the ankles. For small and compact tattoos, ankles are a great way to show off your tattoos. They give a new sexiness to wearing heels and it’s also easy to show people your matching tattoos. If you have a bigger friendship tattoo (like a quote), you can utilize the whole side of your feet which is just as perfect.

Pre-tattoo Preparations

It might be obvious already, but you can’t just get a tattoo whenever you feel like it. Tattoos need preparation and sometimes, you even need to visit the tattoo studio before you get your actual tattoo. Follow these tips so you can get a hassle-free tattoo session.

Check your chosen tattoo studio

When choosing the right tattoo studio, canvas places near your home so you can easily visit the studio. When you already have a chosen tattoo studio, visit at least a week before your appointment to get a feel of the place. Look out for signs of cleanliness and decency among its staff and artists. Also, keep in mind the procedure they use.

Consult with the tattoo artist

When you visit your chosen tattoo studio, take the time to consult with the tattoo artist who will be doing your tattoo. Ask them if they can do your design or if they have other suggestions. If they aren’t explaining too much, then keep asking them questions. The purpose of this is for you to feel comfortable with the procedure and their skill in giving your friendship tattoo justice.

DO NOT drink alcohol prior to the tattoo appointment

So the day of your tattoo appointment is drawing near. The first thing you have to do two days before is to not drink alcohol, take drugs, or anything that will numb your senses. This includes drinking coffee because it might have an effect on your bloodstream and your emotions. Also, remember that you want to shy away from any blood thinners because they will cause unwanted bleeding when getting a tattoo.

Take a shower

For hygienic purposes, you have to take a shower before going to your appointment. Take a warm shower to open your pores so it’s easier to wash your skin clean. However, avoid getting a scrub two days before your appointment because you don’t want rashes or pinkish skin before even getting a tattoo. Instead, you can get a scrub a week before to remove the dead skin cells. This timeframe is enough to let your skin heal and be smooth again.

Wear comfortable clothes

Next is you have to wear comfortable clothes. Wear ones that have easy access to where you will be putting a tattoo. If you are getting one for your arm, do not wear long-sleeved shirts. Instead, wear a sleeveless top. This will not only help the artist work on your arm better, but it will also help prevent any friction and contact that will irritate the tattoo after.

Bring things to help you pass the time

If your tattoo is going to take some time (usually for detailed and big tattoos), bring something that will pass the time. Bring a book, a power bank, or anything that will help you be distracted so you don’t focus on the pain that the procedure might give you.

When you’re finally ready, it’s time to go to your tattoo appointment.

Post-Tattoo Care

So you finally got matching friendship tattoos, now what? Before getting so excited to share the world your new friendship band, make sure take these tips so you can take good care of your fresh new tattoo.

Don’t touch or scratch it.

You must be so excited with your tattoo now or you might be bothered that it’s reddish. If that’s the case, then try to keep your hands away from the tattoo. Don’t ever scratch it even when it’s no longer fresh. Scratching and touching it might cause infection and since it’s still fresh, it might lead to rashes and unwanted bleeding.

Rub it with moisturizing lotion.

Usually, tattoo studios apply moisturizing lotion or petroleum jelly after every tattoo session. This ensures added protection for your tattoo and it will also help relieve the skin from all the ink and pain. It would be better to check your tattoo studio if it’s part of their procedure to apply lotion. If it’s not, then bring your own petroleum jelly.

Wash it with soap.

After at least four hours, you can now wash the tattooed part with soap and water. Use lukewarm water and soap, preferably a liquid body wash, so that you don’t have to scrub it to have a rich lather. Gently wash the area with your friendship tattoo and do not scrub it with your hands.

Cover it to avoid getting infected.

When the tattoo is fresh, the pores and the skin are prone to get infected. If you can help it, try not to wear tight clothes that can scratch against the tattoo. If you can’t help it, you should cover it with gauze so it doesn’t irritate the skin. A gauze is a better bandage than sticking band-aid to it. If anything, you shouldn’t put a band-aid on it because the stickiness can cause infection on the tattooed part.

Always cover it with sunscreen

This tip is important for those who have colored friendship tattoos. Over time, colored ink can fade because of the sun, so the best way to maintain it is to apply sunscreen on your tattooed area. It will also be helpful to continue putting moisturizing lotion on it so it stays smooth and soft.